(Credit: Moreno Gardenghi) La Monnaie / De Munt is set to present a recital featuring tenor Mark Padmore and pianist Simon Lepper this February. The showcase, which is set for Feb. 7, 2022, will feature a wide range of music by such composers as Gabriel Fauré, Benjamin Britten, Samuel Barber, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Gerald Finzi, Charles Ives, Reynaldo Hahn, Rebecca {…}
The cast of the now-canceled production of “Carmen” at La Monnaie has written an open letter to the Prime Minister of Belgium. The letter, penned by tenor Michael Fabiano and co-signed by other cast members, placed the blame for La Monnaie’s closure on the government and noted that the decision to limit theaters to just 200 people at a time {…}
La Monnaie / de Munt has announced the cancelation of its 12 performances of “Carmen.” The company noted that the spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 forced the company to only be able to perform for 200 people. Unfortunately, as per an official statement, that would result in the loss of 900,000€. “Add to this the fact that we {…}
(Credit: Karl Forster) Belgian opera house La Monnaie has announced that it will stream a production of Bellini’s “Norma” on its website starting Jan. 11, 2022. The stream will be available until Feb. 22, 2022. The opera stars Enea Scala in the role of Pollione, Michele Pertusi as Oroveso, Raffaella Lupinacci as Adalgisa, and Sally Matthews in the title role. {…}
(Credit: Johan Jacobs) The government of Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo has officially reopened theaters following a decision by the Council of State. Using an emergency procedure, the Council of State ruled that the government’s closure measures were not proportionate, and didn’t provide enough motives to understand why attending cultural performances was particularly dangerous for public health. Per the {…}
(Credit: Simon Van Rompay) La Monnaie Opera House in Brussels will stream Alban Berg’s opera “Lulu” until Jan. 24, 2022. The opera stars Natascha Petrinsky as Gräfin Geschwitz; Bo Skovhus in the roles of Dr. Schön & Jack The Ripper; Toby Spence as Alwa; Pavlo Hunka as Schigolch; and Barbara Hannigan in the title role. The cast also includes Lilly {…}
(Credit: Visit Brussels) Several cultural institutions in Belgium issued a joint statement following the decision of the government of Belgium to limit seating capacity to 200 spectators. The statement was signed by the General and Artistic Director of the Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie Peter de Caluwe; General Director of Bozar Sophie Lauwers; Intendant de l’Orchestre National de Belgique Hans {…}
(Credit: La Monnaie official website) Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège has announced that its seating capacity has been limited to 200 spectators due to ongoing COVID-19 circumstances. “Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège has learned with amazement and disbelief of the decisions of the Cultural Committee that set the limitation of seating capacity to 200 people, which will be applicable from Monday December {…}
La Monnaie in Belgium is set to open a new production of Bellini’s “Norma.” The production, which will be directed by Christophe Coppens, contrasts the extraordinarily beautiful melodies in this story of an impossible love triangle with a grey world of concrete, and makes the impossible passions part of an acrid identity crisis. Sally Matthews will sing the title role {…}
(Credit: Lisa-Marie Mazzucco) The Governing Council of the Consorci de L’Auditori i l’Orquestra approved the proposal put forward by the Director of L’Auditori, Robert Brufau to appoint Ludovic Morlot as the new Music Director of the Orquestra Simfònica de Barcelona i Nacional de Catalunya. “With Ludovic Morlot at the helm, the OBC reaches an international level and will defend the {…}
(Photo P. Claes for La Monnaie De Munt) Every Friday, Polina Lyapustina delivers a short essay on some of the most essential topics in the industry with the intent of establishing a dialogue about the opera world and its future. In July 2021, a nine-year-old Syrian refugee girl called Little Amal began her 8,000 km journey from the Syria-Turkey border across Europe to {…}